BIDDEFORD — Heading into the 2018-19 boys hockey season, the Biddeford Tigers knew they would have to put together a truly incredible campaign in order to repeat their success from a year ago.
Coming off a trip to the Class A state final, the Tigers had just 20 players in the entire program and had actually debated whether they should combine teams with another school.
Head coach Jason Tremblay and company decided to trust their core group of players and keep the BHS program alive — and it has paid off in a big way.
The Tigers will head back to the Class A state championship game tonight when they travel to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston to face a tough St. Dominic Academy squad. The game is set for a 6 p.m. start.
“Honestly, once we saw how open our conference was we felt that we, just like seven other teams, had a shot,” said Tremblay.
In order to once again represent the South in the Class A title game, Tremblay knew his team would need to get a little bit lucky when it came to avoiding injuries — and also work harder than other teams.
“We had to stay somewhat healthy,” said Tremblay, who made sure his team would be able to handle a lot of time on the ice. “We had to build stamina to be able to run what we’re running right now and we had to be smart. I think we’ve learned over the season how to play with a smaller bench.”
The Tigers would overcome their shorthanded roster to go 12-6 in the regular season and earn the second seed in the Class A South playoffs.
One major reason why the Tigers were able to succeed this year was their talented first line, which has proven to be one of the most dangerous offensive units in Maine.
“I think our first line is one of the top lines in the state. (It’s) three sophomores and they are very good. They move the puck well,” said Tremblay of Nick McSorley, Nick Reissfelder and Trevor Ouellette. “They can stack up against any first line in the state. They have grit. They have scoring. They have defensive play. I mean all three compliment each other very well.”
Senior defenseman Trenton Ouellette agreed with his coach.
“In the beginning of the year, I thought we were going to go far actually because like coach said, I think we have the best first line in the state. They are really hard to beat,” said Ouellette.
The Tigers’ defense — led by defensemen Trenton Ouellette and Colin Petit and goalie Justin Larnerd — has also stepped up this year.
“We’ve got two captains on the back end and Justin in net and it all starts there,” said Tremblay of the three seniors.
Petit played most of his high school career as a forward, but would move to defense to help the shorthanded Tigers this season.
“I think I like it better, honestly. I don’t get as tired back there. I get to play a lot more and I think I can help the team a lot more from back there, just making plays and getting the puck to our top line,” said Petit.
Larnerd is thrilled to have two talented defenders playing in front of him.
“They’re a huge help,” said Larnerd. “Having Colin back on defense with his offensive pressure helps so much.”
Ouellette was quick to praise his goalie.
“Justin’s always there telling us if we have time. He’s a really good goalie and hard to beat,” said Ouellette.
Larnerd believes the fact that this team shares a close bond has helped them fight through adversity and find success on the ice.
“It’s a team built on family and tight bonds. I’d say we’re especially close and it helps a lot. There have been ups and downs, but we’ve always gotten through it,” said Larnerd.
The Tigers (15-6) are also enjoying playing for Tremblay and assistant coach Trevor Fleurent, who is a former Biddeford High and University of New England star.
“I like it because they are both from Biddeford, so they get it. Trevor obviously won three championships here so he knows what it’s like to do it and he knows how much it means to a lot of people around here,” said Petit.
The Tigers would love to bring a championship back to Biddeford as a way to inspire young hockey players to stick with the sport and keep the BHS program alive.
“If we win states it’s going to attract more people to the program and make people want to play for us,” said Ouellette.
But if this is the final year of Biddeford having it’s own team, this group wants to put an exclamation point at the end of the program’s storied history.
“This might actually be the last year of it just being Biddeford, so it would be nice to cap it off with a championship,” Petit added.
To bring home the title on Saturday night, the Tigers know they will have to play their best game of the season.
“They are great in net. They have high-skilled forwards. They have solid D. They’ve got depth, so it’s going to be a war of attrition. Can they wear us out? And can we withstand the depth of their team?” said Tremblay of St. Dom’s (15-4-1).
Ouellette believes the Tigers can overcome St. Dom’s depth and compete with the No. 1 team in the Varsity Maine state hockey rankings.
“We get tired, but we push through it. We’ve been doing it all year now and we’re used to it. We’re ready for Saturday,” Ouellette said.
Tremblay is hoping the Tigers will take advantage of the experience on their roster and show up on the state’s biggest stage.
“They believe. Six guys from the roster were in that game last year. They know what it’s like. They’re not going to be a deer in headlights when they hit the ice. They know it’s going to be a packed barn,” Tremblay said.
— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at pmcdonald@journaltribune.com or at 780-9017. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.

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